Today is September 11. I, like last year, have decided to publish a ficlet about it.

I’m not the most patriotic person. But there have been two points in my life when I’ve felt undeniably American. One of these instances occurred this summer, when I stood in Times Square, among thousands of people, watching Michael Phelps win his 8th medal.

The other was September 11, 2001.

I could go into details, describing everything that happened, but I’m not. I could describe what I felt while watching the news, but I’m not.

I will tell you that watching the reactions of neighbors, family, friends, and people I didn’t even know, I felt indisputably American.